title: Electrophysiological and behavioral responses of Thanatophilus sinuatus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Silphidae) to selected cadaveric volatile organic compounds.
abstract: Soon after death, carcasses release volatile chemicals that attract carrion insects including Silphidae. Nevertheless, it is not known which chemical cues are involved in the attractiveness of the carcass. So far, little information is available on the chemical ecology of carrion beetles, particularly concerning the subfamily of Silphinae. The biological role of selected cadaveric volatile organic compounds including dimethyldisulfide (DMDS), butan-1-ol, n-butanoic acid, indole, phenol, p-cresol, putrescine, and cadaverine on the silphine species, Thanatophilus sinuatus Fabricius, was investigated using both electrophysiological and behavioral techniques. Among the tested cadaveric compounds, butan-1-ol and DMDS elicited the strongest electroantennography (EAG) from both T. sinuatus male and female antennae. In a two-arm olfactometer, males and females were significantly attracted to DMDS for both tested doses, whereas only males were attracted to p-cresol at 100 ng. Putrescine was repellent to males at the dose of 1 μg.
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional and Evolutionary Entomology, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Passage des Déportés 2, Gembloux, B-5030, Belgium. jdekeirsschieter@ulg.ac.be
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dekeirsschieter
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Frederickx
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lognay
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Brostaux
authors.forename: Francois J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Verheggen
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Haubruge
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D057506:Arthropod Antennae; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000502:physiology*; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D004772:Entomology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D008297:Male; D064367:Olfactometry; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012737:Sex Factors; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
keywords: Silphinae; cadaveric VOCs; carrion beetles; carrion ecology; chemical ecology; electroantennography; forensic entomology; forensic science; insect olfaction; olfactometry